Second Chances
by AmericanFairy
Summary: They're all looking for second chances. As they learn that the witch's plans went beyond just bringing darkness to the OZ will they be able to redeem themselves or are they doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past? Cain/DG UST for now. ABANDONED.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Second Chances

**Author:** AmericanFairy

**Rating:** PG

**Characters:** Pretty much everyone from the show including a few OC's

**Pairings:** Cain/DG UST, Ahamo/Lavender

**Warnings:** A little bit angst for now but hopefully it will get better.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tin Man or The Wizard of Oz. Just a fangirl throwing in my thoughts from the peanut gallery. StrangeLittleSwirl was actually the first person to have the Tin Men call each other "Tin Man so-and-so" so credit for that goes to her. Also, I would like to thank modelbehavior2u for encouraging me to keep writing even when I chickened out. I read more fanfiction than a person should be allowed to so if I accidently borrowed something from you and didn't credit please let me know so I can fix it.

**Author's Note:** I'm probably going to be the world's worst WIP author so please bear with me. I promise that I will never stop working on this and if you feel that it's been too long between chapters feel free to let me know.

* * *

DG sat underneath the gazebo at Finaqua open sketchbook in hand. She gazed out over the crystal waters of the lake lost in thought. She had meant to draw a picture, but instead she found herself once again contemplating her current position and how she got there.

Everything she thought she knew had turned out to be a lie. And things she hadn't believed in before were becoming part of a long list of new truths in her life. Within the past six months she had gone from being a farm girl/waitress/student to a criminal/fighter/wanderer to a princess and hero. Really, she was beginning to think that life couldn't get any stranger that that.

Her mind wandered over to her friends. If it hadn't been for them she would have died shortly after her return to the OZ, of this she had no doubt. They were all so very different yet each one brought a unique quality with them that had added to their little group.

DG sighed. The group had been separated for months now. Raw had left shortly after the eclipse to take Kalm back to their people. That was good for them. Before he left he had promised to return to Finaqua after Kalm was settled. DG found herself at a loss for words unable to tell him what that promise meant to her. But from the look in the Viewer's eyes she knew that he knew. DG missed his calm, soothing, presence.

Glitch had his brain successfully returned and was once again the queen's advisor. Her family and tutor still called him Ambrose but to DG he would always be Glitch. She had to admit that she was worried that he would get too stuffy and proper for her, but he soon proved her wrong. It was a relief to know that underneath Ambrose Glitch was still there.

She felt tears prick the backs of her eyes as she let her thoughts wander to the person she missed the most: Cain. He had been her rock amongst all the confusion. His steady presence never failed to make her feel safe even in the most dangerous situations.

About a month after the eclipse word reached them that other Tin Men and survived as well. Cain joined with Jeb and his fighters to gather up the Tin Men before heading over to Central City. _At least he got to spend some quality time with his son,_ DG thought.

She remembered when they said their goodbyes. She struggled to keep the tears at bay and while outwardly he appeared calm she could see the emotion in his eyes.

"We'll meet again soon," he spoke softly to her.

"How soon is soon?" She needed to know the truth no matter how much it hurt.

He sighed and looked away for a moment. When he looked back she could have sworn there were tears in his eyes.

"It won't be forever. I promise"

She looked him straight in the eye. "I believe you." Forcing herself to smile brightly she added, "Hey, and now you get to spend some father/son time with Jeb!"

He laughed. Then, suddenly, he drew her into his embrace. Once again they held onto each other taking in the comfort and strength that they would need. Then he was gone.

"DG! DG where are you?" The queen's voice cut through her thoughts. She gathered her art supplies and raced off towards the voice.

"I'm here Mother!"

The queen crossed her arms and frowned slightly. "Did you forget about your lesson with Tutor?"

"Lesson with-oh!" _Shit._ "Uh yeah, I guess I did. Sorry."

Lavender's gaze softened. "Are you all right, my Angel? You've seemed out of sorts recently."

DG shrugged. "I'm fine. Ijust had a lot to think about recently."

Lavender reached out to caress her daughter's cheek. For a moment she looked like she wanted to continue the conversation then changed her mind abruptly. "Go on and find Tutor, then. He's waiting for you."

DG gave her mother a quick smile, thankful that she was not pursuing the subject, and hurried off. She felt bad about not telling her mother the complete truth. Honestly, she didn't even know where to begin. It wasn't that she didn't want to trust her parents, it was that she didn't know how.

She spotted Tutor pacing the lawn near the palace. "Hi Toto!"

Tutor sighed and shook his head. "It's Tutor. And you're late again."

"I'm sorry Tutor. I lost track of time." She was sorry. She knew her magic lessons were important and that she had a lot of catching up to do. She didn't like missing more that she had to. Besides, it kept her busy and goodness knows she needed to keep busy to keep from dwelling on her thoughts.

Tutor sighed again and slowly shook his head. "You seem to do that a lot, DG." His words were not unkind. "Come now, it's time for lessons."

* * *

Wyatt Cain sighed as another cuffed criminal was brought in. The situation in Central City was worse than he had originally thought. There were just too many criminals and too few Tin Men to keep them in line.

His thoughts wandered to DG. Not for the first time he wondered how she was adjusting to royal life and what she was doing at that very moment. Leaving her had been one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. But he had a job to do and by Gods he'd see it through.

The Tin Man who had brought in the criminal returned interrupting Cain's thoughts. "Tin Man Cain," he nodded towards Cain.

"Tin Man Davis," Cain nodded towards him.

Jonathan Davis was a tall, lean, man with a piercing gaze and skin the color of dark chocolate. He and Cain met while working together on the Mystic Man's protection detail and had fought together at the Last Stand in Central City. A Resistance fighter during the war Davis was one of the first Tin Men to return to Central City.

"What's this one in for?" Cain asked as Davis settled into one of the desks to write his report.

"Possession and marketing of contraband," he paused and looked up. "Cain, I don't think we'll be able to make seventy-five percent by the time the Royals get here. We'll be lucky of we make fifty percent."

"I know," Cain growled. His goal had been to reduce the crime rate in Central City by seventy-five percent in time for the royal family to hold the first Council meeting. Even with all available Tin Men working around the clock their progress had been slow. "With the Council in two weeks we better make fifty percent."

Davis just nodded and went back to his report. "Go home and get some rest, Cain. You've been here for nearly twenty-four hours."

Cain sighed and rubbed his face. "Alright then, good luck hunting."

The only response from Davis was a quick grin as the blond walked out.

It didn't take Cain long to get to his apartment. He sighed as he leaned against the door and looked over the sparse furniture. His gaze fell over the table where a stack of opened letters lay. Sitting down he picked up the top letter to read again.

It was from Jeb. His son spoke about training exercises, his new girlfriend, and amusing things that he had observed around the palace. Cain couldn't help but smile. Like his father, Jeb Cain had risen quickly through the ranks. When the Royal Army was being re-established the queen had promoted Jeb and placed an entire company of soldiers under him.

With a sigh Cain reached for the next letter. This one was from the queen herself offering him the position as head of the Royal Guard which would put him in charge of security. To argue her point, the queen cited that his time on the Mystic Man's Protection Detail, combined with his work in the Resistance and the aide that he had given to DG, made him more than qualified for the job. Cain had to admit that it was a tempting offer. And there was one member of the royal family whose safety he was particularly concerned about.

Sleep, he decided, was what he needed. He'd think about it some more once he had some rest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Second Chances

**Author:** American Fairy

**Rating:** PG

**Characters:** Pretty much everyone from the show including a few OC's

**Pairings:** Cain/DG UST, Jeb/OC, Ahamo/Lavender

**Warnings:** A little bit of drama, but not too bad.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tin Man or The Wizard of Oz. Just a fangirl throwing in my thoughts from the peanut gallery. StrangeLittleSwirl was actually the first person to have the Tin Men call each other "Tin Man so-and-so" so credit for that goes to her.

I read more fanfiction than a person should be allowed to so if I accidently borrowed something from you and didn't credit please let me know so I can fix it. Any other mistakes are my own.

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this for their wonderful support. I'm always a bit self conscious when I post so hugs and cookies to all.

Also, pictures of my OCs can be found on my Live Journal page.

* * *

Jeb Cain had just finished dinner with his troops and was walking through the corridors of the palace. He stopped when he spotted DG from the library door. She was reading a large book and occasionally pausing to write down some notes. There were times when he still wasn't sure what to think about her. She certainly had some odd qualities about her that probably came from growing up on the Other Side. But she also seemed sad.

She glanced up and noticed that he was watching her. He tended to do that a lot and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She made a mental note to ask him about that later as he casually approached her.

"Hey there, Princess." DG suppressed a mental wince. The familiar greeting just didn't sound the same coming out of Jeb's mouth. Somehow Wyatt Cain managed to make it sound more like a nickname than an actual title.

"Hey Jeb, what's up?"

"Not much. Just finished dinner with the troops. They're anxious for the guard to get established so they can get back into action."

She nodded. Jeb Cain's men were currently acting as the Royal Guard until the official guard could be established.

"What are you reading?" he idly picked up one of her papers and glanced at it.

"Just trying to catch up on 15 ye-annuals worth of lessons." She plucked the paper from his hand. "Nosy."

Jeb simply grinned as he leaned against a bookshelf. "I got another letter from Father today."

"Oh really?" And how is he?" DG tried her best to conceal her interest, but the truth was that for the past few weeks she had gotten into the habit of asking him about his father at least once a day.

Jeb smirked at her thinly veiled impatience. She really was a bad liar. "Well, he finally made a decision about the queen's offer."

DG froze at that. _Will he be coming back? What if he stays away?_

_Maybe he doesn't want to come back?_

_But he promised!_

"And?" she prompted.

"And he decided to accept the position." Jeb couldn't help but grin at the way DG's eyes lit up.

"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed happily.

_Dong!_

The clock began to chime the hour cutting off anything else she had to say.

"It's getting late, Princess. Would you allow me to escort you to your room?" He had learned quickly that while the princess didn't take orders too well she readily gave in to requests.

"Alright," she gathered up her papers and marked her page in the book.

They walked to her room in comfortable silence. As they reached her door DG remembered her question and turned to Jeb. "Why is it you always seem to go out of your way to keep an eye on me? You have men who are assigned to do that."

He shrugged. "You're friends with my father. I figured that he would particularly upset if anything happened to you. I just thought it might be best to keep an eye on you myself as much as possible until he returns." He gave her a polite nod. "Good-night, Princess." And he walked away leaving a surprised princess to stare after him wide eyed and open mouthed.

Jeb couldn't help but smirk at the expression on her face as he left her. Anyone with half a brain could see that his father and DG cared about each other. Stopping at a window at the end of the corridor he gazed out at the moonlit mountains and sighed.

"Something troubling you?" a voice asked.

He turned and smiled at the owner of the voice. "Miranda," he greeted her as the red-headed woman approached him.

"It's a beautiful night," she commented looking out of the window.

"Yeah," he answered absently as he followed her gaze.

"I ask again, Captain, what's wrong?"

Jeb glanced at her. "What makes you think there's something wrong?"

She smiled at him. "Because I've known you long enough to recognize when something is on your mind. You have that look."

Sighing, he finally turned to her. "I received a letter from Father."

"That's good."

"He's going to take the job."

"Well, we guessed correctly then."

"And I spoke to DG just a few minutes ago."

"And how'd that go?"

He shrugged. "It went well. We had a nice conversation."

"And yet, I feel that there's more you're not telling me."

Jeb sighed. "Maybe I'm just being a selfish kid."

"How so?" Miranda Eckles has seen Jeb Cain act in a lot of ways but never as a selfish kid.

"Just before he left for Central City we had some… words. I basically accused him of seeing DG as more that just a friend."

_That's understandable._ Miranda thought. _After all, DG's only a few annuals older than Jeb._ "And what did your father say?"

Jeb blew out another sigh and leaned against the wall. "That they were just friends."

Miranda smiled and took his hand in hers. "He's right you know. And maybe you shouldn't be so hard on them. DG's the one who saved him after all."

He returned her smile and kissed her knuckles. "I know. It's just so-"

"Give it time," she interrupted gently. "Just give it time. These things have a way of working themselves out. You'll see." Raising herself on her toes she kissed him gently. "Now, we should both get some sleep or we'll be completely useless tomorrow."

Jeb grinned as he wrapped his arms around her. "When did you become so smart?"

"Well somebody's got to be the voice of reason around here." Miranda smirked at him. "Might as well be me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Second Chances

**Author:** American Fairy

**Rating:** PG but that might change in the future

**Characters:** Pretty much everyone from the show including a few OCs

**Pairings:** Cain/DG UST, Jeb/OFC, Ahamo/Lavender

**Summary:** They're all looking for second chances. As they learn that the witch's plans went beyond just bringing darkness to the OZ will they be able to redeem themselves or are they doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past?

**Warnings:** Drama in the extreme

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tin Man or The Wizard of Oz. Just a fangirl throwing in my thoughts from the peanut gallery. StrangLittleSwirl was actually the first person to have the Tin Men call each other "Tin Man so-and-so" so credit for that goes to her. Seeing as I read more fanfiction than a person should if I accidently borrowed something from you and didn't credit please let me know so I can fix it. Any other mistakes are my own.

**A/N:** A thousand and one apologies for the delay. RL, college, and an ADD muse had to be taken care of first. I hope that I haven't lost any readers in the process. Remember that comments and reviews feed the muse!

**Word Count:** 1,795

* * *

Ambrose stood in the queen's office going through the papers in his hands. Sunlight flowed in through the large windows opposite the door illuminating cream colored wall and cobalt carpeting. Sitting at a large wooden desk to the right of the door facing the opposite wall was Queen Lavender. Her husband stood behind her silent and supportive.

"So far we have received replies from the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Guilds." Ambrose informed the queen.

"And from the mining communities? Have you heard from them?" Lavender was eager to gather as many council representatives as possible.

"No Highness. I suppose they are unwilling to cross the fields of the Papay."

Ahamo stepped forward from where he had been standing by the wall and placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. She sighed and reached up to grasp his hand. "Maybe there is a way to create a safe route through the fields of the Papay?" he suggested.

Lavender shook her head. "No. I already know what you're thinking and I'm not going to put her through that."

"But she healed one tree already." Ahamo stated.

"No!"

"Your Highness," Ambrose interrupted, "She can do it. She's strong enough for the task."

Standing up abruptly she walked over to the window. From there she could see DG working on her lessons with Tutor. She was attempting to use her magic to lift and stack stones like building blocks then take them down again.

_She's been working so hard, _Lavender thought to herself. _How could we ask her to do more?_

"My Angel," she whispered.

"I know you don't want to push DG," Ahamo's voice came from behind her. "Gods knows I don't want to. But she's the only one who's strong enough to do it."

Ambrose chimed in. "The Papay are starving, you Highness. They've been starving for a long time. It could be possible that if DG heals their orchards then not only will peaceful relations ensue between the Papay and the other peoples of the OZ but they might even be willing to agree to an alliance."

"We've never had to have an alliance with the Papay before," Lavender replied. "They'd always been a peaceful group."

Ambrose took a step closer to her. "Times have changed."

After a long moment Lavender turned from the window and looked at both men in the room. "I'll think about it."

Ahamo nodded and Ambrose bowed his head slightly both men knowing that that was as close to a yes as they were going to get at the moment.

"Are there any other matters that you wish to discuss with me, Ambrose?"

"No, Highness. That's all for the moment."

"Thank you then," she nodded her head in dismissal.

Ambrose bowed the both the queen and the consort before exiting the room knowing that they were probably going to talk about DG after he left.

Speaking of DG he realized hadn't see her since breakfast. At the time she had looked like she might be in need of a friend and he didn't doubt that she still was.

He headed outside to where he knew she was having her magic lessons. She should be getting a break soon and he could visit with her then.

* * *

After dismissing the latest applicant with a promise that he would be notified when a decision was made Cain groaned and passed a hand roughly over his face. He had forgotten how hard this job was.

_That's because you were part of a protection detail and not head of security. Let's face it. You're in way over your head this time._

_Shut up! _He silently berated his inner voice.

_Admit it old man. You're not doing this for the royal family or the OZ. You're doing this for DG._

_And why wouldn't I want my friend safe?_

_Oh really? So, she's just a friend? Nothing more?_

_She's just a kid!_

Cain's internal argument was interrupted by soft knocking at the door.

"Yeah, come in!" he called out distractedly as he bent over to place the file he had been going through in the correct drawer. He heard the visitor take a few steps in the stop without saying a word. Suspicions roused, Cain's hand immediately went to his gun as he slowly sat up. A heavily cloaked figure stood before him his face hidden in shadow.

"How can I help you?" Cain asked quietly as he fingered the safety.

"Cain the one who needs help," the cloaked figure replied. Cain noted that the voice sounded slightly familiar as he stealthily un-holstered his gun. The figure reached up to tug down his hood and the sight that greeted Cain nearly caused him to drop his gun.

"Raw?" Cain stared in shock at the person before him for a few seconds before breaking into a grin and jumping up to shake his hand. "What brings you here?"

Raw smiled sheepishly and gave a half-shrug. "Raw here to help," was all he said.

"And how did you know I needed help?"

"I feel it. Cain need help choosing guards."

"Well, you're right about that," Cain replied as he sat on the edge of his desk. "I've had plenty of applications and all of them have good qualifications. The biggest problem has been where it concerns Princess Azkadellia. I'm having a hard time finding someone who's not going to murder her in her sleep." He sighed wearily. Every applicant had a good reason to grudge the princess.

"Raw help," the viewer was eager to ease his friend's frustration. "I can screen applicants. See what's in their hearts."

Cain smiled at his friend. "I'd appreciate that."

Raw smiled back as he felt the waves of gratitude coming off of Cain. "Always happy to help friends."

* * *

"Concentrate DG. Let the light flow through you."

Frustrated, DG managed to shoot a quick glare towards Tutor before turning her attention back to the rocks in front of her. "I am concentrating. This isn't exactly easy you know."

As the rocks slid to the ground she groaned. "Honestly, you can say 'let the light flow through you' as many times as you want but it won't make much of a difference."

"That's because you're thinking too much. Don't think it, feel it."

DG sighed and turned back to the rocks. From the corner of her eye she caught sight of Jeb and Miranda sitting on the grass in quiet conversation. Seeing Jeb caused DG's mind to turn to the elder Cain as she focused on her light. The large stones began to rise up and form a neat stack in front of her.

"Yes, yes DG!" You're doing great!" Tutor called out.

She was able to hold the stones for about ten seconds before they tumbled back to the ground. Lowering her head in defeat DG grumbled, "I can't believe I lost to a bunch of rocks."

"Maybe it's time for a break," Tutor suggested.

"No," DG shook her head. "I've got to get this right."

"Alright let me rephrase that. _I_ want a break." Tutor replied calmly.

"Oh, okay then."

Tutor started to walk away then stopped and turned to pat DG on the arm. "You're doing great, DG. I've never seen anyone advance as quickly as you have."

"Yeah?" She was still unconvinced.

"It's true." He waited until she looked up and made eye contact with him then patted her arm one more time. She found a smile for him and, satisfied with her response, he walked away.

DG quickly decided that it would be best to avoid Jeb and Miranda during her break. First of all, they looked like they were having a pleasant conversation and she didn't want to interrupt. Second, Jeb's comments from the other night had taken her by surprise and she was still trying to go over it in her head. Maybe she was reading too much into it? That happens sometimes. She spotted Ambrose taking a seat on a nearby bench and decided to join him.

"Hey Doll!" he greeted her cheerfully as she sat. "Looking good out there."

DG snorted. "Hardly. I can't seem to get them to stay put."

"But you got them up. That's a start isn't it?" He started fishing through his pockets.

"I guess so." She twisted her head to look at him. "How goes this business with the Council?"

Ambrose waved his hand dismissively as he continued to search his pockets. "Not now, you're on break. I never mix business with pleasure." Finding what he was looking for he pulled it out triumphantly and held it out to her. "Apple?"

"Thanks," she accepted the fruit and took a bite. About mid-chew she put her hand over her mouth to cover a yawn.

"Still not sleeping are you?"

"Not really."

He gently bumped his shoulder against hers. "Want to talk about it?"

DG shrugged. "There's not much to talk about."

"Sometimes talking about it helps you to feel better," he prodded gently.

She sighed. "I don't know, Glitch. They're just a bunch of crazy dreams." She paused and Ambrose waited patiently while she gathered her thoughts. "The one that I get the most is where I'm walking down this hallway and it's dark except for this light at the end. As I approach the light I realize that it's actually an ornate glass door and I can hear what sounds like moaning coming from behind it – many voices moaning. Suddenly, a hand appears pressed up against the glass, then another and another. Soon there are dozens of hands beating on the door and the moaning keeps getting louder and louder. I try to back away but I can't move. It's as if I'm stuck." DG broke out of her thoughts with a start and shook her head. "That's the worst one, really. The other ones are usually a jumbled mess of thoughts and memories that make no sense."

Ambrose frowned in concern. He hand known that DG had been having trouble sleeping but it didn't occur to him that is was because she was being plagued by nightmares. Now he felt like a bad friend for not noticing.

"Have you talked to anyone about this?" he asked her.

"No," she chewed on her apple absently. "You're the first person I've told."

"You should try talking to your parents."

"Maybe," she replied vaguely.

Glitch sighed as he patted her arm. He wished he knew how to help her but this was out of his area of expertise. All he could do was support his friend and let her know that he was there for her, something he'd failed miserably at during the post-eclipse shuffle. He made a silent vow to be a better friend to DG from that moment on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Second Chances

**Author:** American Fairy

**Rating:** PG but that might change in the future

**Characters:** Pretty much everyone from the show including a few OCs

**Pairings:** Cain/DG UST, Jeb/OFC, Ahamo/Lavender

**Summary:** They're all looking for second chances. As they learn that the witch's plans went beyond just bringing darkness to the OZ will they be able to redeem themselves or are they doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past?

**Warnings:** None really.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tin Man or The Wizard of Oz. Just a fangirl throwing in my thoughts from the peanut gallery. StrangLittleSwirl was actually the first person to have the Tin Men call each other "Tin Man so-and-so" so credit for that goes to her. Seeing as I read more fanfiction than a person should if I accidently borrowed something from you and didn't credit please let me know so I can fix it. Any other mistakes are my own.

**Word Count:** 2,934

Azkadellia sat at her vanity staring at her reflection in the mirror. These days she hardly ever left her room. She felt safer there. While the soldiers and the servants had never been openly hostile she could still feel the anger and hate coming off of them in waves. And it was all directed towards her.

Leaning forward she took a closer look at her reflection. It didn't matter that she was a changed person, that the evil witch that had infected her body and controlled the majority of her actions was dead her face was still the same. It was her face that the people of the O.Z. had grown to fear and hate not that of the witch.

She picked up the brush and began to absently run it through her hair while she listened to the silence. After fifteen annuals of having the witch in her head the silence was a bit overwhelming. She listened to the ticking of the clock as some birds sang, their voices coming through the open window. It was usually at times like these when the witch would speak up in that harsh, grating voice ordering her around like a little child.

That voice never came. Sometimes she was worried that it was all a dream and that at any moment the voice would return. Instead it was a knock on the door that shattered the silence causing Azkadellia to drop her brush. Startled, she turned towards the door. "Come in!" she called thanking the gods that her voice did not indicate her surprise.

The door opened to reveal Lavender. The queen stood in the doorway for a moment looking almost uncertain. "Good morning, my darling. Are you coming down for breakfast?"

Azkadellia's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Why yes of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"We had thought you had slept in," the queen replied gently. "It's nearly eight o'clock."

Azkadellia was surprised. It wasn't that she had slept in. In fact she hardly slept at all these days. It was that she had lost track of the time. Rising quickly she crossed the room to walk with her mother down to the breakfast room.

***

Breakfast was the same every morning. Though the meal was considered a "family meal" meaning no diplomats or visiting nobles dined with them Ambrose and Tutor would often join them. After all, they were practically family. The queen and consort would discuss the day's upcoming activities with the advisor while Tutor and DG would talk about lessons. Azkadellia often just sat in silence barely eating and refusing to join in on the conversation.

As Azkadellia sat down next to her sister Ahamo turned to both of his daughters with a broad smile. "Are you two excited about returning to Central City?"

"Yes, Daddy," Azkadellia replied dutifully. Out of the corner of her eye she saw DG smile in response. She was certain that her sister was not smiling about returning to Central City but about seeing a certain someone who was there. Lowering her head, she started to pick at her eggs and toast and reminded herself to hold her tongue. It wouldn't do any good trying to stir up things that probably weren't even there.

"DG, my darling, there is something your father and I would like to ask you to do on the way to Central City if you feel that you are up to it." Something about her mother's soft tone caused Azkadellia to look up. Glancing over at her sister she could tell that DG sensed it too as she and the rest of the table's occupants seemed to be waiting with an air of expectation.

"Okay," DG answered slowly with an air of caution.

"Ambrose and Tutor tell us that you managed to heal a tree in the fields of the Papay." It was more of a question than a statement. Ahamo placed his hand on his wife's shoulder and she reached up to grasp it.

"Yeah, I did. It wasn't a big deal really once I understood what I was doing. I wanted to stop and heal some more but we were in a hurry." DG shrugged as if healing dead trees was the most natural thing in the world.

Ahamo cleared his throat. "I think what your mother is trying to ask is whether you're willing to stop and heal the rest of the fields on the way to Central City."

"And having the Papay as our allies would be a great benefit," Ambrose supplied.

"Sure," DG replied easily. "Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it."

Azkadellia openly gaped at her sister. "DG, do you realize just how much magic that's going to take? It takes a lot of power to completely restore one dead tree, a feat that only a few mages can accomplish. But to be able to heal a whole field? Only the strongest can do that."

DG straightened up and looked at her sister. "I can do it if it needs to be done. Besides, don't you remember what the Mystic Man said?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth Azkadellia made a small noise and pressed her napkin to her mouth as the memory of the Mystic Man's last moments popped into her head. Everyone turned towards her in concern.

"Oh Az, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it like that!" DG was speaking quickly, trying to calm her sister. It had been almost a month since Azkadellia had had an emotional breakdown. They used to happen on a daily basis.

After a moment of sitting there with her eyes tightly shut Azkadellia put her napkin down and offered her sister what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "It's alright. Really, it is."

DG still looked doubtful but she quietly went back to her breakfast. After a moment Ambrose and Tutor followed her example. Lavender and Ahamo continued to watch their daughter in concern, though.

"And you're right," Azkadellia continued surprising everyone at the table.

"I'm – what?" DG asked clearly confused.

"You're right. The Mystic Man did say that you were more powerful than me. So if you say that you can heal the Papay fields then I say that you are right." Azkadellia smiled at her sister's surprised expression. When was the last time she had smiled a genuine smile? She couldn't remember but it felt so good. "You can do this, DG. I know you can."

***

Jeb was whistling cheerfully as he walked down the halls looking over the papers detailing their travel plans. It all seemed pretty cut and dry: just a straight trip from Finaqua to Central City with a short stop at the Papay fields so that DG could heal them. That should be an interesting sight to see. Even though Jeb had watched a few of DG's lessons he still found being so close to active magic a little unnerving. He shrugged. _Might as well get used to it now that you and your father are so closely associated with the royal family_, he thought ruefully.

A hand shot out from an alcove grabbing him by the jacket and pulling him in. Before he could react a familiar voice spoke in his ear. "Hello there, Captain."

Grinning, Jeb turned so that he could face Miranda. "You really shouldn't do that. I could've knocked you on your back."

Miranda was grinning from ear to ear her green eyes sparkling with mischief. "You could have tried but you would have failed."

Jeb smirked at her. He knew all too well that Miranda was not a woman to be underestimated. He had been on the receiving end of her wrath before, when they were in the Resistance, and the end result had been a black eye and a cracked rib.

Looking down at her Jeb took a step closer placing his hands around her waist. "And what have I done to earn this kind of a greeting?" While he didn't deny that this was a pleasant surprise it wasn't like her to act in such a spontaneous manner. That was usually his job.

Miranda looked up innocently as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about. I only wanted to say good morning."

"Oh really?" Jeb raised an eyebrow.

"Yes really," she raised herself on the tips of her toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "And now I have to go."

As she tried to turn away he tightened his arms around her preventing her from leaving. "I don't think so. You're not getting away that easily."

Rolling her eyes and Miranda opened her mouth to speak only to be silenced by Jeb's lips on hers. The kiss was deep but unhurried as if they had all the time in the world to taste each other touch and explore. When he pulled her flush against him she stilled allowing herself to become soft and pliable in his hands. Finally, he released her lips only to lower his head so he could suck on the place where her neck and her shoulder met. He was pleased to hear her gasp and shudder as she moved to grip the back of his jacket with both hands.

He knew that he should stop but he couldn't bring himself to do so. This just felt so good, so right. As he started to pepper her jaw line with kisses he distinctly heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, causing the two of them to jump apart. Reaching for his gun, Jeb turned only to come face to face with a highly amused Ambrose holding a bunch of papers in one hand.

"You know," Ambrose commented keeping his voice low. "There are plenty of other placed where you can do that. Perhaps one of the empty bedrooms, or an empty study, or a closet? Surely one of those has got to be better than here?" There was a distinct twinkle in his eyes yet Jeb got the point: Next time wait until they're behind closed doors. Otherwise, who knows what kind of scandal them being caught would cause.

"Yeah, I got it," Jeb replied as he listened to the sounds of Miranda straightening herself up behind him. "Was there a reason you came to find us?"

"You dropped these." Ambrose handed Jeb the stack of papers that he had been holding.

"Um, thanks," he took the papers and turned to Miranda. "I'll see you later, okay?" He waited for her to nod before he hurried off. He did not like the pointed look that Ambrose was giving him.

After Jeb was gone the advisor turned his gaze towards Miranda. Unfazed, she stared right back. After several seconds Ambrose shook his head and started walking off muttering to himself the entire time. Miranda just smirked.

***

As Cain closed up his office for the night he let out a sigh of relief. Thanks to Raw he had finally gotten the Royal Guard in order and was feeling quite confident with the new recruits and their assignments. Walking through the Tin Man headquarters he was greeted by a cheerful Davis.

"Say Cain, when are you going to get your own offices and stop using ours? Temporary my foot. I'm beginning to think that you'll never leave."

Cain laughed. "Today's actually my last day here. I move into the palace office tomorrow."

Davis shook his head. "There you go rubbing elbows with the royals. Pretty soon you'll be too good to talk to the rest of us."

Cain shrugged. "You'll get over it."

"Oh really?" Davis raised his eyebrows at that.

"Yes you will because my leaving will make you head Tin Man." Cain replied matter of factly.

Davis burst out laughing. "Yes, I will admit that was a bonus for me."

They were interrupted by a young Tin Man entering the room. As he headed over to a desk to write his report he nodded to the older men in greeting.

"Makes you feel old doesn't it? Seeing all of these young recruits doing what we used to do?" Davis asked as he watched the younger man take his seat.

"Sometimes," Cain admitted. "But I try not to think about it too much."

***

Raw sat in the middle of his darkened room meditating. This was the easiest way for him to check on his friends and make sure that they were okay. First, he checked on Cain since he was the closest. Cain was in a good mood feeling satisfied with the day. Raw smiled, that was good. Next, he checked on Glitch who was busy but not unhappy. That was good too. But for DG….

Raw's brow furrowed as he concentrated on his young friend. DG was clearly unhappy though Raw couldn't determine the cause. He sighed as he opened his eyes. That was something they were going to have to work on after she arrived.

Standing up Raw walked over the small table in a corner of the room where a tray full of food had been set. He still wasn't used to the opulence and formality of the palace with all the guards, servants, and dignitaries. He was much more at peace out in the country. But, though the viewers had forgiven him in light of his aide in the destruction of the witch, his place was here. This was his family now, and this was where he belonged. And if that meant being around more humans than he was normally comfortable with then so be it. He could learn to adjust. He _would_ learn to adjust.

***

DG was having another nightmare. She was running on the balcony of the tower trying to stop her sister from bringing about permanent darkness. As she tried to approach Azkadellia the older woman lifted up her arms tossing DG over the railing. But instead of catching the ledge she kept falling. Falling until suddenly she stopped and found herself lying on her back. Everything around her was black to the point where she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. When she reached out to get a feel for her surroundings her hands came in contact with cold marble. The marble was everywhere as DG realized, to her horror, that she was trapped inside that stone coffin again. She beat her hands on the lid as she started to scream, though it was useless. When her hands finally started to hurt too much to continue and she had no voice left she lay back sobbing.

A blue light began to glow above her, slowly at first, but growing steadily stronger. Suddenly, there was no lid and DG found that she could climb out of the coffin easily. Turning slowly around DG realized that she was at one end of a long hallway. There was a slight chill in the air as she took in the ornately swirling decorations on the wooden doors and wall lamps along with the patterned tile floor.

The blue light was coming from the other end of the hallway so she started towards it. As she got closer she was that it was an opaque glass door with the same ornate design as the other doors. She paused to listen. Someone was moaning on the other side of the door.

She stepped closer and realized that there were actually many voices moaning behind the door. DG jumped when a hand suddenly appeared pressing itself against the glass. Another hand followed it and soon there were many hands beating against the glass as the moaning increased in volume.

Worried that they might break through the door DG tried to take a step back only to find that she couldn't. All she could do was helplessly stand there and watch. The image of a strange book passed before her eyes seconds before there was a blinding flash of white light.

DG sat upright in her bed gasping for air. Frustrated, she groaned as she brought he knees to her chest and tugged at her hair. Why did she have to have these dreams? This lack of sleep was really starting to get to her and not in a good way. Tossing herself back onto the pillows she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to focus on sleep.

Counting sheep wasn't helping. What is she were to count Papay? No, counting Papay made her think about the Papay fields and how DG was supposed to heal them. How was she supposed to do that?

With a sigh DG turned onto her back to stare at the dark ceiling. _Just think happy thoughts._ Wasn't that a line from a children's story? And if so was it from here or the Other Side? She was just so confused that she didn't know anymore.

Pushing her covers back DG stood up and walked over to her window. There was no moon tonight making the stars seem impossibly bright. Something flying through the air caught her gaze and she squinted to get a better look. Her first thought was that it was a mobat but she shook her head. All the mobats had died with the witch. _Must be one of those strange OZ birds_, DG thought sleepily as she headed back to bed.

Azkadellia stood at her window watching the strange, yet familiar, flying object. Where had she seen it before? And why was it giving her such a bad feeling?

**A/N:** Sorry it's taken me so long to update this. I won't bore you too much with the details but let's just say that RL, school, work, writer's block, and an ADD muse all played a part in that. Let me know what you think! It really helps to feed the muse.


	5. Chapter 5

I feel that I need to apologize and explain what is going on concerning this story.

First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who posted a review and put this story on their alerts list. Without you guys I wouldn't have had the confidence to continue writing and trying to improve. This was my first attempt at a multi-chapter fic and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. As a result, I managed to write myself into a wall and between that and my dimished interest in Tin Man I fear that this story will not be finished. However, I still have every intention of finishing "Something I Can Never Have". It's just going to take a bit of time between work and school. I hope that you all will be able to bare with me and I truly appreciate all of the support that I have received.

I felt that you all deserved an explanation as to why I have not updated this story and, once again, I sincerely apologize.


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